


golden slumbers fill your eyes

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Fever Dreams, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 22:11:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14882168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: When he woke up with a headache, he brushed it off. Hours later, he was slipping in and out of consciousness, dreaming of times gone by.





	golden slumbers fill your eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Any (& or /) Any - Groggy illness hurt / comfort.

When he woke up that morning with a headache, he'd brushed it off. Headaches were common during stressful times, and what could be more stressful than suddenly having to run errands for Bern royalty when they were _supposed_ to be helping Lord Eliwood and the others find the Shrine of the Seals? The rocky ground they'd made camp on last night hadn't helped matters, and neither had the cold.

He'd tried to get some training done while he waited for breakfast, but his sword felt heavy and he'd barely managed his usual regimen. Breakfast was delicious, but he could only eat half of his serving. Of course, Lucius and Priscilla asked questions. Even if they'd been all the way on the other side of camp they'd know he was out of sorts.

"I'm fine," he'd said. It was a headache, it would go away, and so would the tickle in his throat. But two hours later they were only halfway to the fortress Lady Lyndis had pointed out, the tickle in his throat had him coughing every ten or so minutes, his head _still_ hurt, and even though the snow was thick he felt too warm.

_Not gonna let that stop me, though. I've fought through worse._ The battle started, and he raised his axe. But it felt too heavy, even for a simple iron axe, the enemy...enemies? How many were there? He could have sworn there was only one there a moment ago. No matter, he was used to taking on at least six at a time. One step to the side, one forward, _the ground, why is the ground suddenly so-_

"Lord Raymond!"

He heard the sound of hooves and a thunder spell and felt someone grabbing him around the waist before he blacked out.

 

_Hot. Too hot._ Were they in the desert again? Raven opened his eyes, but the moment he tried to sit up someone gently pushed him back down.

"Stay."

"Luc...Lucius...?" His vision was blurry, and it almost hurt to talk. He felt something cool and damp pressed against his cheek.

"You're burning with fever," Lucius said sternly. It still amazed him how someone so gentle and soft could sound so hard when he felt like it. His partner's lips and cheek pressed against his forehead, followed by the cool and damp thing. "If your sister hadn't rushed me over to you in time, that wyvern knight could have killed you."

"Ah..." He groaned. "Priscilla, is she-"

"Of course she's upset, but she'd already promised to help with the healing during the battle," Lucius said. "She made me _promise_ not to let you out of your bed until you were fully recovered." Raven opened his mouth to protest, Lucius and Priscilla worried too much about him as it was. Plus, what if Lucius got sick? But when he tried to talk, it came out as a coughing fit, and Lucius practically tripped over himself to get him some water. Raven obediently drank from the cup held to his lips.

"Thanks."

"You should have told me you were getting sick," Lucius scolded, replacing the cloth on his cheek. "Do you know how dangerous it is to keep going on when you're feeling so poorly?"

"Thought it'd go away," Raven grumbled, unable to come up with anything better. He didn't even have the energy to be stubborn like he'd used to be as a child. "Sorry I worried you."

"Lord Eliwood and the others said we can stay here an extra few days after the battle if need be." Lucius tucked the covers around his neck, stroking the side of his face not covered by a cloth. "I took them up on that offer."

"s'fine." His eyes were getting heavy again, his throat hurt too much to talk any further. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the moisture of the cloth and the cool feeling of Lucius's hand.

"Rest," Lucius murmured, sitting down beside the bedroll and taking his hand. "I'll stay right here." And Raven tumbled into sleep.

 

He awoke hours later in his old bed. Cornwall, looking just as he once remembered it, with Mother and Father murmuring words he couldn't make out. Lucius was there, and so was Priscilla, standing and smiling at him like they always did.

"M...Mother...?"

"Raymond."

"Fath...father..."

"I'm right here."

He cried. He was too sick to be humiliated by it, all he could do was lie there and let the tears fall. He didn't know why, all he could see were the walls and his loved ones, barely hearing anything. _Why...?_ It was okay, everything was just like it always was, he hadn't cried since...

_since_

Everyone's images faded, Lucius's being the last one. Slowly, his figure growing dimmer and more transparent. The walls melted, crumbled, and he called out but no one answered. _Mother, Father, Priscilla! No, don't leave-Lucius, wait! Mother, Priscilla...Father, come back, come back!_ He tried to scream but the words were stuck in his throat. _Everyone-!_

"-mond..."

"Don't leave!" The words finally tore themselves from his throat.

"Lord Raymond!" He jolted awake, gasping for breath. He saw the plain beige walls of the medical tent, tasted salt on his lips. "Lord Raymond, it's all right. I'm here, I'm right here..." Lucius's hand went up to wipe at his cheeks, and he realized he was still crying. This time he actually did feel embarrassed.

"Where..." It was the first thing he could think of. He knew where he was, his parents were still long dead, and Priscilla on the battlefield beside that green-armored knight she'd become so fond of lately. But when he closed his eyes, the images from before still seemed so clear and he could almost hear Mother whispering softly to him.

"Was it a nice dream?" Lucius asked, wringing out the damp cloths and wetting a fresh one. "You were smiling, for a moment there."

"I guess..." His head still swam and his tongue felt thick. "Everyone...they were there, my room was just like I left it." Lucius carefully wiped down his face with the cloth, pressing his cheek to his forehead.

"You're still feverish. It may be a few days before you're truly on the mend." And suddenly he was lying down on the bedroll, Raven being pulled into his embrace.

"H...hey, what are you-" He coughed. "You're gonna get sick."

"I'm not as weak as I used to be, Lord Raymond, and my physical health has always been better than my emotional state." His embrace tightened, and Raven felt the warmth of a slender shoulder under his cheek. Much more comfortable than his sweat-damp pillow.

"Lucius..."

"I promised long ago that I'd never leave your side, no matter what. It's a vow I intend to keep until my dying breath." Raven instinctively gripped Lucius's robe.

"Then stay here, with me."

He slipped in and out of sleep, and each time he woke up Lucius would give him water or help him sit up to eat something simple and bland. Little by little he felt the fever sweating out of him, and by nightfall when Priscilla came to check up on him and help change the sheets, his headache was starting to fade.

"I hope you sleep well," she said as she took the bundle of sweaty linens. "And Lucius, if he tries to sneak out of bed..."

"I can tie him down, if need be," Lucius laughed, and Raven made a face.

"You're not supposed to make fun of sick people." Lucius smiled as Priscilla left, and sat down on the bed beside him.

"You're pretending to be grumpy again," he said. "That means you may recover faster than I thought." He dug in Raven's pack for a change of clothes. "Unfortunately, we're nowhere near a stream and it's too cold for you to bathe outdoors anyway. But you're still not sleeping in those dirty clothes."

"Good." He let Lucius help him change, still too tired and achy to feel embarrassed. Soon they were back under the blanket, Lucius embracing him again. "I still think you're crazy, risking your health."

"If I get sick, I'll pray for a speedy recovery. But I won't get sick." Lucius's lips brushed his forehead, and Raven felt a warmth in his cheeks that had nothing to do with the fever.

"Thanks."

"Sleep well, Lord Raymond."

His sleep that night was consistent and dreamless.


End file.
